Let’s talk about red carpet customer service.

One of my personal goals (and my team‘s goal) in 2016 is to change the conversation about customer service. If what you talk about and think about “grows” (and I believe it does), then why do we keep talking about how bad it is?

A few weeks ago, I asked my Facebook fans for their “worst” service stories. I was considering writing a comedy bit for a speech and wanted their help. I’ve never had such a popular post. So many people chimed in – more comments than I’ve had on any other post. While I was truly grateful for their help, I didn’t want to stay on the negative for too long.

I posted again and asked people to send me their best service story. Three people commented.

Does that say something about the state of customer service? Or does it say that it’s human nature to dwell on what’s wrong instead of what’s right?

Maybe a little bit of both. However, I think if we start focusing on what’s right, we’ll see more that’s right! People learn from positive stories too!! There are definitely red carpet customer service examples out there. I found 501 of them and put them in a book!!!

As we begin the new year, I challenge you (and myself and my team) to act on these 3 resolutions:

1. Focus on what was positive in 2015: Gather your team or a small group of co-workers together and generate a list of everything that you accomplished in 2015. What went well? What did you celebrate? What should you be celebrating? How did you give red carpet customer service last year? No accomplishment is to small to add to the list. The goal is to dwell on what went right and build on that list in the new year.

2. Find red-carpet service examples in your workplace: Spend at least one day this week actively looking for examples of your team mates rolling out the red carpet for your customers. Collect them by writing them down or committing them to memory. Share those stories with your team and challenge them to find their examples and stories worth sharing the following week! Repeat weekly. Or daily.

3. Celebrate red-carpet service examples out in the world: Actively look for examples of red carpet customer service as you do business in your community. When you find it, talk about it. Ask to see a manager and tell them about the great service one of their team members just gave you. Write a rave review and post it somewhere it will make a difference. Write a letter to the corporate office. Celebration Cinema teaches their team members about great customer service using this very practice! You can read about what they do in 501 Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers.

I’m not saying that we should ignore poor service. I am, however, suggesting that we make a greater effort to celebrate the good. If you’re looking, you’ll see that red carpet customer service is all around us!
Happy New Year everyone!

 

Donna Cutting is the author of 2 books on customer service including her latest, 501 Ways to Roll Out the Red Carpet for Your Customers: Easy-to-Implement Ideas to Inspire Loyalty, Get New Customers, and Leave a Lasting Impression. She’s an in-demand keynote speaker on the topic and her team at Red Carpet Learning Systems helps leaders engage their team to be an integral piece of their sales force by deliver a red carpet customer experience. Follow Donna on Twitter at @donnacutting